Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Anne Tkach to be Honored with Tribute Show By Friends and Fellow Musicians on Friday

Anne Tkach with Rough Shop, one of many bands she was a part of over the years.

By Thomas Crone

Anne Tkach would never have dreamed of being the focus of a crowd's attention. Instead, she was happiest when playing alongside a talented band -- even if that meant being viewed by the audience as a complementary player, rather than the central character known to her bandmates.

"She was the perfect bassist," Tkach's partner and Magic City bandmate Adam Hesed says. "She never needed to be a frontman or the lead guitarist. She was concerned with the music. She definitely appreciated when people appreciated what she was doing -- everyone likes validation of their life's work -- but she didn't crave the center spot."

In early April, Tkach, a bassist and percussionist in a variety of St. Louis rock acts over the past decade-plus, passed away in her hometown of Webster Groves, the victim of an early-morning house fire. She lived there while tending to her father, Peter, then aged 79. On Friday, June 26, Peter Tkach also died following several months of severe health setbacks, including a broken hip and the emotional toll of his daughter's passing.

Hesed concedes that "everything about this is awful," but notes that the elder Tkach was able to come to peace with the finality of his life in his last days, refusing any extraordinary medical efforts.

"He was put in a hospice, basically slept for four days and passed," Hesed says. "He'd made his decision, and I'm happy for him that he was aware and able to make that decision."

Lately, a lot of folks have been wanting to talk to Hesed about Anne and the impact that she had on them. That's been amplified by the arrival of a show at Off Broadway on Friday, July 10. "Wild and Blue: A Tribute to Anne Tkach" will pull together a host of acts that she performed with or alongside, including Peck of Dirt, the Skekses, Ransom Note, the Good Griefs, Hazeldine, Magic City, Nadine and Rough Shop. Fred Friction will play as well, and Hesed will accompany him on standup bass -- Tkach's own -- though he humbly laughs, "That's not print-worthy. Fred plays with about four notes, and I've been able to learn all of those four."

Hesed is finally able to crack a joke -- smile a bit, share a good story -- after some admittedly trying months. Part of his healing has come through organizing the show, as he's thrown himself in with a group of musicians and supporters who are working hard to honor Tkach's memory.

On the night she died, Tkach's many friends and collaborators went to Ryder's Tavern for an informal gathering. Others went to the Schlafly Tap Room that weekend, on an evening when the resurgent Magic City was to have played.

"[Magic City] actually had a show booked three days after she died, and one for each month following," Hesed says. "We had found a new drummer in town, and the band was going to come back."

The impromptu gatherings were nice, but a true tribute took some finessing.

"We knew that we had to do something," Hesed says. "It was obvious. We talked to the ladies from Hazeldine when they were in town for the funeral, and we settled on a date. We called several people from the bands that she'd played with and brainstormed about what to do -- those bands had to find some brave soul who would play bass or drums. We chose a date and approached Steve [Pohlman] at Off Broadway and basically said, 'This is our only possible date.' He had to clear his schedule, finding another venue for the other band, so that no one was ditched. He did his part."

Three groups that helped define Tkach's work will be given feature slots. There's Hazeldine, the New Mexico-based band with which she toured North America and Europe in the late '90s and early '00s -- for this show, the group will be joined by Hesed and ace guitarist Jason Hutto. Then there's Rough Shop, lauded in large part for its well-received annual holiday concerts and songwriter-driven Americana. And, of course, there's the explosive Magic City, which was slated to come off hiatus with new drummer Drew Gowran, though Sam Meyer will play for this reunion show, as will bassist Kiki Solis.

While the music will be the centerpiece of the evening, stories will no doubt be traded throughout the night. For Nadine keyboardist/guitarist Steve Rauner, memories include Tkach's "impeccable instincts."